Cycling event week
Halve your hours but keep short sharp efforts, service the bike early in the week rather than the night before, plan your carbohydrate per hour on paper, and ride the first hour of the event slower than the group wants you to. Almost everyone who blows up on a sportive did it in the first 40 minutes.
Lire en françaisHow to taper on a bike
Cyclists taper less than runners because riding costs less muscle damage. Cut total hours by roughly 40-50% while keeping short intensity: two or three sessions with a handful of two-to-three-minute efforts is enough to keep the legs awake. Going fully flat for a week leaves most riders feeling wooden on event day.
Day by day (Sunday event)
| Day | Ride | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest or 45 min easy spin | Recover from the last big week |
| Tuesday | 75 min with 5 x 2 min hard | Sharpness at low cost |
| Wednesday | 60 min endurance | Keep the rhythm |
| Thursday | Rest, bike service, kit check | Fix problems while shops are open |
| Friday | 45-60 min easy with 3 x 1 min | Legs open, nothing spent |
| Saturday | 30-45 min easy, travel, recon the start | Familiarity beats extra fitness |
| Sunday | Event | Execute the fuelling and pacing plan |
The mechanical checklist nobody does in time
- New tyres or fresh sealant, and a look at the brake pads — do this on Thursday, not Saturday night.
- Charge everything: head unit, lights, electronic shifting.
- Two tubes or a plug kit, a pump, a chain link, a multitool — carried, not planned.
- Ride the bike after any service. A wheel refitted badly rubs on the first climb.
Fuelling numbers, not vibes
Write the plan by the hour: for events over three hours, 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour is a common range, and it needs to have been rehearsed on long training rides — the gut is trainable and race day is the wrong time to discover it is not trained. Count bottles and gels before you leave, and set a reminder to eat every 20 minutes rather than eating when hungry.
In heat, add electrolytes and drink earlier than thirst. Cold weather masks dehydration, so keep drinking anyway.
Pacing the day
The first hour of a mass-start event is always too fast, because fresh riders in a crowd are a bad reference. Pick a ceiling effort for the first hour and hold it while people ride away. On long climbs, settle two or three levels below your maximum for the first two minutes, then assess.
Save your matches for the parts of the course that actually decide your day: the long climb, the headwind section, the last 20 km.
In a group, safely
- Point out holes and obstacles; call your moves before making them.
- Do not brake in the middle of a bunch — soft-pedal or move to the edge first.
- Ride at the front or the back if the group is unpredictable, never in a nervous middle.
- Any crash involving your head means a new helmet and a medical check, however fine you feel.
Frequently asked questions
- How much should I taper before a gran fondo?
- Cut total hours by roughly 40-50% but keep short hard efforts twice in the week. Cyclists lose sharpness faster than they lose fatigue.
- When should I service the bike?
- Early in the week, then ride it. A service on Saturday evening is how people discover a rubbing brake at kilometre five.
- How do I avoid blowing up in the first hour?
- Set an effort ceiling for the first hour and hold it while others ride away. A fresh bunch is a bad pacing reference.